Oncology & Hematology Coding Alert

Question: What's the difference between 19296-+19297 and 19298? North Carolina Subscriber Answer: The first two codes describe catheter placement for the newer technique of accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI), such as the MammoSite system: 19296 " Placement of radiotherapy afterloading expandable catheter (single or multichannel) into the breast for interstitial radioelement application following partial mastectomy, includes imaging guidance; on date separate from partial mastectomy +19297 " ... concurrent with partial mastectomy (list separately in addition to code for primary procedure). APBI targets part of the breast after a lumpectomy. Treatment takes place over a five- to six-day period instead of the weeks that older techniques require. What happens: The physician creates a tunnel or cubbyhole and inflates the expandable catheter so that it can't be removed. Later the patient returns for radiation, often for five treatments, twice a day, with six hours in-between. Codes 19296 and +19297 describe identical procedures [...]